Danganronpa: Hope vs Despair
by TheQueenofDespair2792
Summary: What if different people died? Who will be the new culprits and victims? Basically an alternate IF story to Danganronpa. You can control who dies or not by reviewing!
1. Chapter 1: Kill Free or Live Hard

Danganronpa: Hope vs. Despair

Written by Sam

Author Note: Hi everybody, this is my first fanfic and it's about an au for Danganronpa (this is still during despair). It contains spoilers so don't read unless you have played the game/watched the anime/read the lp. Ok, so I hope you like it, and thanks for taking the time to read this!

P.S. The account I use to post isn't mine, it's my friends so updates may be late, but I'll try to post as soon as possible.

* * *

The enormous building towering over Naegi Makoto was magnificent in all details. His first step into the school should have been filled with hope. It should have been a wonderful school year. It turned out to be a very despair inducing game, a sick game where life's are a cheap thing.

Welcome to Despair Academy: Prologue

Naegi gathered up his courage, reassuring himself of any doubting thoughts in his mind. He stepping over the gate. "Wh-wha... Huh?" Suddenly, the world was swirling, waswirling, swirling like a swirled sundae with multicoloured sprinkles.

The next minute, Naegi found himself in a classroom. He got up, and took a good look around it. There was a security camera in the corner, along with bolted up windows, and a very messy pamphlet with scrawled writing.

"It is the beginning of a new semester! Please meet in the gym long with everybody else. I wish you the best of luck."

End of Prologue...  
...

Chapter 1

Everyone gathered in the gymnasium. All 15 students.  
All wondering who told them to go there and why.

"Hello, you idiots! Today is the start of a wonderful new semester!" A menacing monochromatic stuffed toy jumped up from the headmasters desk.

"What is this frickin' teddy bear think it's doing?"said Enoshima Junko, Super High School Level Model.

"This is not appropriate in a school environment!"declared Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Super High School Level Hall Moniter.

There were several other, more quiet comments made by the other students.

"I hope you like your stay at Hopes Peak Academy! 'Cause you'll be staying here for the rest of your lives! Nyohohoho!"

I'm going to die, Naegi panicked, his heart thumping louder and harder with each passing second. Someone's going to kill me!, He thought. No, dont think like that, he told himself. You're just falling into the bear's trap. Who locked them up here, the- mastermind, that was what Naegi would call him. This mastermind wants them to feel fear, to distrust everyone else.

I've got to stop anybody from murdering anyone, he told himself. But the real question, tugging at him from the back of his mind was, How?

"THAT'S IT YOU'VE GONE WAY TO FAR WITH YOUR JOKES!" yelled Oowada Mondo, Super High School Level Gang leader.

"But don't you mean your hairstyle?" taunted Monokuma.

"THAT'S IT F**K YOU TEDDY!" Oowada then lunged for Monokuma, grabbing him.

"Violence against the headmaster is forbidden!" said Monokuma, flailing his arms and legs around. "Beep, bleep-bleep, bzzt, whir, beep" He stopped talking and started making strange, machine-like noises.

"Stop it with the machine noises already," said Oowada.

"Get rid of it, now!" yelled Kirigiri Kyouko, whose super highs chool level was unknown to the other students.

"Huh?" Oowada looked puzzled for a moment.

"JUST DO IT!" Kirigiri declared with urgency in her voice.

Then Oowada flung Monokuma into the air. Just as he did, Monokuma exploded with a bang, the smoke hovering the air, making it foggy.

"But if he's just exploded, doesn't that mean he's dead?" asked Fujisaki Chihiro, Super High School Level Programmer.

"I'm not dead, I'm Monokuma, your headmaster!" Another Monokuma unit popped out of the headmaster's desk.

"Oh, sh*t theres another one!" said Kuwata Leon, Super High School Level Baseball Star.

"You tried to kill me!" said Oowada, recovering from the shock of the explosion.

"Of course I did. I'll let that one pass, but if anyone else turns against the headmaster you can expect something much more extreme!" cackled Monokuma.

"Oh, and of course! You bunch of brainless idiots need ElectroiDs! These little babies are strong enough to withstand any kind of damage. When you turn it on, it will display your real name, so make sure you've got the right one!" Monokuma then proceeded to hand out all of the ElectroiDs to the students.

"Well, this concludes the opening ceremony!" laughed Monokuma sadistically. "I wish you all a very long, despairfully-wonderful life inside the academy. Well I'm done here, so see ya'all later! Gyahaha!" Then Monokuma left, leaving everyone else in a daze.

"Before we do anything else, I suggest we should take a look at our ElectroiDs." said Celestia Ludenberg, Super High School Level Gambler.

Everyone else silently agreed. Naegi turned his on. The first thing that appeared was his name, just as Monokuma said.

Naegi woke up, trying to ease the pain from his head. He was knocked out by Oowada when he tried to break up a fight between him and Togami Byakuya, Super High School Level Heir. He eyes started to focus on his surroundings. He was on a bed, in a room. This must be one of the dorm rooms, Naegi thought.

"Naegi-kun?" Someone called from beside him.

"Uh...Yes?" He turned around and saw Maizono Sayaka smiling at him.

"Ah, M-Maizono-san! What are you doing here? D-did you actually see me unconscious?" Naegi stuttered. Sheesh, you're making yourself look like a klutz in front of Maizono-san, cut it out already!, he lectured himself.

"Um, I did, and I helped carry you here. It happened to be my turn to take care of you when you woke up. There's something I'd like to talk to you about. We didn't get to finish our introductions from before, right?" she told him.

"You're right, we didn't." Naegi remembered Ishimaru had stopped them from talking before Maizono had a chance to say something, something along the lines of "You're the same Naegi as the Naegi from-".

"Well, you're a Nekuro Sixer, aren't you? I took that school too! We were in different classes though." Maizono grinned.

"Wow, Maizono-san, you actually remember me? I didn't think you would, since you're a pop idol and all."

"Silly Naegi-kun! Of course I remember you! I watched you that time when you rescued a crane stuck in the pond at school. It was amazing."

Naegi felt himself blush at the thought that Maizono had seen that. "Well, that was really because I was on duty that week." He looked down, secretly feeling special that Maizono had actually remembered him.

"Naegi-kun, since you're awake now, we should go to the cafeteria to join everyone else." she said.

"Uh, yeah, you're right, we should go." said Naegi. His head only ached in small, dull bursts by now.

After listening through Ishimaru's boring lecture at the table and manging to get back to his room, he collapsed onto his bed.

Some time later, his mind drifted, his eyelids getting heavy. Naegi started to daydream (it isn't actually day but night dreaming is something else). He started to think about Maizono-san, she was beautiful- her hair, her eyes, and most of all, her smile- they enchanted Naegi, until all he could think about was her.

No, stop this!, he told himself. You're not going to think about Maizono right now!

I've got to get to sleep, he reminded himself. Surely, no one would kill over the desire to get out, right?

End of Day 1

Alive:15

End of Chapter 1

Authors Note: I have to post this late because I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to write, but here it is! Ihope you enjoy this chapter and please review! Who will die first? Who will become the culprit? Find out in either Chapter 2 or 3, depending on how long I make it!

P.S. Thanks MidnightMoonKid, for following my story! I appreciate it, and since you're the first, I'd like you to tell me who you want alive or not!

Author note: So how do you like the story so far? Is there something you want me to add? Who do you want to die/live or become victims/culprits? Comments and reviews are welcome!


	2. Chapter 2: I Have a Dream

Chapter 2: I Have a Dream

For the sake of character development, this chapter is dedicated to a Freetime moment with 1 other character! (It was originally going to be two but I wanted this chapter up soon so the other Freetime moment will be in the next chapter.)

Author Note: I didn't get a chance to work on this at daytime because I was busy helping around today, so I'm writing at night. Tell me what you thought about this chapter in a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa. Spike Chunsoft owns it. All I own is the plot.

Naegi opened his eyes.

It was the second day of the school life of mutual killing, and so far, no one's dead.

No one's going to kill over a desire to get out of the academy, he thought. But on the inside, deep down, he wasn't so sure.

Anyway, I should do something today, I can't stick around here forever. He decided to visit Maizono, since she was the most comfortable person to talk to at the moment.

Naegi left his room, and stood outide of Maizono's.

He rung the bell, and his mind was a flurry of words, trying to think of something to say to Maizono.

Ding dong, the bell chimed.

"Hello who's- oh, it's you Naegi-kun." said Maizono with her usual cheery smile.

"Ah, Maizono-san, I was thinking we could, um, spend time together today because really, I don't actually have anything better to do anyway."

"Why of course, Naegi-kun, I'd gladly spend time with you." She exited her room, locked the door and joined Naegi in the dimly-lit hallway.

"Um, you know what, Naegi-kun? I wanted to talk to you about something too." said Maizono.

"What is it?"

"I was looking for something to defend myself with." said Maizono, twirling her hair with her fingers. "Like, something sharp. Maybe the gym has one."

"The gym? Why would there be something like that there?"

"Ah, I just wondered. Can you come with me, just in case?"

"Sure." The gym? That's one weird place to look for a weapon, Naegi thought.

After a while, maybe 100 steps later, they reached the gym.

"My, that display case looks promising." Maizono pointed to a shelf lined with trophys and other objects on the wall.

Naegi walked over to the display case and cast his eye over the shelf. There wasn't too much too look at. On the top were several trophys and medals, probably won by the many talented students who once attended Hopes Peak. At the bottom were a samurai helmet (a helmet?), a case, and a haniwa (aren't those supposed to be in graves?), among others. Suddenly, something gold caught his eye. A gold practice sword, that is.

"Maizono-san, check this out." He called her over to him. "It's a practice sword! You can use it to protect yourself! Here, I'll hand it to you-" Yikes! I just touched this sword and now my hand's covered in gold!, Naegi tried to shake the peeling gold paint off of his hand.

"That's a good weapon! I'm sure it would- oh, Naegi-kun, actually, I think that would seem better in your room rather than mine." Maizono chuckled, watching Naegi freak out over glitter.

"Are you sure, Maizono-san? After all, it was you who suggested about getting something to defend yourself with."

"Ah, that's okay. You know, I'm stronger than I look like. All that dancing around on stage really is worth it, in the end!"

Maizono and Naegi laughed. It was nice to have a moment of humour, even in a situation as dark as theirs.

"Honestly, I think it'd look better in your room." said Maizono. "Adds something to look at."

"Well, okay then, thanks Maizono-san." said Naegi, who had gotten most of the glitter off his hands by now. "Can you, um, get something to wrap this in?"

"Okay! I'll get a newspaper!" She returned shortly after, holding a newspaper in her pale hands.

After Naegi and Maizono wrapped the sword up, they both couldn't think of anything to say.

"Um, I don't know what we should talk about." said Maizono, fiddling with her hair again.

She must twirl her hair around her fingers when she's nervous, Naegi thought. That's so cute.

"You know, we don't have to talk about anything at all! Sometimes, just being around someone makes you feel better!" Naegi said firmly.

"You're right, Naegi-kun." said Maizono, staring off into nowhere. "But you know, I have a story to tell you."

"When I was a little girl, it was just me and daddy."

"What about your mother?" Naegi inquired.

"She passed away when I was seven because of cancer." Maizono looked pained and clasped her hands together.

"Oh, I'm sorry for asking. It must have hurt you a lot." Why did I ask such a stupid question? All I did now was bring an unwanted flood of memories back to her, Naegi thought while feeling embarrassed.

"I couldn't get her too the hospital in time." Maizono looked down, avoiding Naegi's gaze. "But anyway, so it was me and my dad alone. But daddy often worked for long hours so he wasn't home very often. I got lonely. It wasn't like I didn't have friends, but I wanted to suppress the pang of lonelyness I had to deal with."

"So I decided to watch TV to pass the time. While I was channel surfing, I stopped when I saw a live concert of idols performing. They looked so happy, like they had never had a bad feeling in their lives before. Dancing on stage, singing with their beautiful voices, they looked as if they would never become lonely."

"It was then that I felt happiness, a feeling I hadn't experienced in a longer than a while. I decided then and there that I would become one of them, bringing hope and happiness to other girls like me."

"Wow, Maizono-san, it must have taken a lot of work to attain that goal. And you accomplished it." Naegi was more than amazed after hearing her life story.

"Well, yes, it did. Honestly, I did anything I could to become a pop singer. Even bad things." Maizono's normally bright blue eyes had dimmed over. "I-I think it's probably time we bring this gold sword to your room." Maizono picked the sword wrapped in newspaper up and stood from where she was sitting.

"Yeah, you're right." Naegi absentmindedly smoothed a non-existent wrinke off his jacket and paused to take a look at Maizono, who was softly humming a lullaby to herself. Was she trying to avoid the topic? Naegi thought. Then again, it's not my place to ask her.

They walked silently back to the dorms. It was nearly dead quiet except for the soft patter of Maizono's flats and the slightly louder steps of Naegi's running shoes. Naegi noticed that Maizono seemed to be avoiding his gaze as much as possible.

"We're here now." Naegi said to Maizono, who almost walked past his door.

"Oh, we are." Maizono blushed.

"Don't you think it's a nice addition to your bland room Naegi-kun?" Maizono said.

"I guess so." Naegi glanced at Maizono again, and this time, she had her signature smile back on, though something about it made him suspect it wasn't genuine.

"It was nice speaking with you, Naegi-kun." Maizono said as she left and headed to her room. "I hope we can spend more time together again soon." She left and darted inside her room and Naegi heard the click of her lock.

He locked his door as well, and really, Maizono was right. He really did need something to accent his room, and that gold sword did the job.

I still have an hour before Night Time, Naegi thought, remembering what Monokuma had said about it.

"Night Time will be in effect from 10 pm through 7 am, and Day Time is all the rest of the day. Just don't forget, because certain areas of the school are locked at Night Time! Don't even think about breaking any rules, because you will not go unpunished! Upupupu!"

I should do something, not loung around here, Naegi told himself. I'll try to find someone to talk to, just to pass the time.

Leaving his room, he headed over to the iron door that had a sign that read, "Kibougamine Academy". He pushed the heavy steel doors, and strode through the dark corrider. At the end was another sign, but this one read, "Despair Hotel".

Well that suure doesn't sound pleasant, Naegi thought to himself, pausing for a moment. He was now in a different section of the school, but what now? He wasn't sure where he could anyone to talk to.

I'll just go in that classroom over there, he told himself. There was a large wooden door, and a small sign saying "Classroom 1-A".

He pushed open the door, and found out that he wasn't alone.

In the corner of the abandoned and unused room, Enoshima sat with her head down in a desk at the back, quietly sobbing.

So, do you think there's more character development now? I also tried to make it longer. Normally, my stories are long but when I wrote chapters 1 and 2 it was like 3 in the morning and I was more than tired. Please review and/or follow and favourite! 


	3. Chapter 3: Memories of a Former Soldier

Chapter 3: Memories of a Former Soldier

Author Note: This chapter contains MAJOR spoilers for DR. So don't read the next sentence after this one if you don't want any.  
This is the third chapter and it focuses on Ikusaba Mukuro's thoughts.

* * *

Ikusaba Mukuro sat very still on her bed, her hands on her knees, and her eyes shaded by her pink wigs bangs. She was in her dorm room, and she had a lot on her mind.

Her mind drifted away, blanketed my abandoned memories. The first one that she remembered was, of course, her sister, the real Enoshima.

Ikusaba was the only one who could understand her. Junko had a strange fetish for despair, and it was very unsettling. For instance, the last time they spoke to each other before parting ways, where Junko served as the mastermind and Ikusaba would pose as her sister.

"You know what, Mukuro? This is it. The school life of mutual killing will begin in mere hours. Oh, it drives me to despair! Bring me my scissors, I'm not feeling enough of this wonderful despair!" Junko chuckled loudly, before her low voice completly melted away and was replaced by her cutie voice.

"Ah, ah, Mukuwo-onee-chan, you wuv me too wight? 'Cause I wuv you and I only want the best for you. That's why we have searched for despairw wight?" She said, making her already large crystal blue eyes even bigger. "But you are disappointing. You are a pathetic older sista, but Junko-chan is kind. That is why Junko will still wuv you!"

"But, what should I do? Now that my sole purpose of living will be fulfilled very soon, what shall I do? I have nothing more to give me despair with. You know, a poor girl can't live like this!" Junko said, her facial expression changing immediately to depressed, her hands tugging on her hair.

"Uh, Junko-chan, I-" Ikusaba began, reaching for her sister.

"Enough! I'm bored. I'm going to bed. Happy despairful dreams, Mukuro." Junko tossed her hair back and left for her room.

True, Junko may be difficult to speak with and understand, have dissociative identity disorder, and have a nasty habit of cutting herself open with scissors to try to feel the ultimate despair, but she was Ikusaba's true-to-blood fraternal twin sister.

She wasn't always like this. She hadn't always been obsessed with despair. Long, long ago, a time Ikusaba could barely remember, Junko was a normal girl.

The twins were six years old, and sat on the cold ground with blankets, out in the streets. The cold was jarring, and set their teeth on edge, but it didn't stop the gears in their minds from fully functioning. Also, they were in their nightgowns, and this was a dangerous area. Who knew if or when a man would kidnap them?

Ikusaba and Enoshima sat across from each other, both absorbed in some reading material.

"Hey, onee-chan." Junko tugged at Mukuro's sleeve. "I want to be a model someday. The girls in the magazines are just so pretty." She sighed. "But I don't think I'll ever have a chance anyway."

"It's okay, Junko." Mukuro pulled her younger twin in for a close hug. "I know you will, you can do it. You're pretty." She tucked a stray piece of Junko's long red hair behind her right ear. She noticed that her auburn eyes were wide and that she was crying.

"I want to be a soldier." Mukuro said, trying to comfort Junko at the same time.

"You would make a great soldier, onee-chan. You can protect me!" Junko wasn't crying anymore, and she was laughing.

"Of course I will." Mukuro smiled. "I promise."

"I promise too." Junko looked up at her, smiling genuinely.

They linked pinkys and swore they would never break their promise, no matter what obstacles came in their way, because they were ready to face them together.

Those days are long gone.

No one can bring back that lovable and caring Junko.

Then, sometime during their first year at Hope's Peak, everything she had was gone forever.

Her parents, her career, her home, everything. Her parents were murdered by the man who occasionally passed the dark street, because her father couldn't pay back the money he borrowed from him, the money that kickstarted Enoshima's career. Her job was gone because the company went bankrupt. Her "home" (a tent) was set on fire after her parents died. All of her other belongings were either sold or dumped.

Enoshima fell into pure despair. She suffered day and night, and constantly grieved for her parents. She cried herself to sleep every night.

In the mornings, the others would ask her what was wrong. Her eyes were bloodshot and she almost fell into her soup from sleep deprivation. This question always ticked her off, and she would scream at them and run away.

But on one signifigant day, Enoshima realized something. Since nothing good ever happened in her life anymore, she found out that if she grew used to despair, to come to like it, she could drive away all of those horrible feelings.

After that, she began craving despair, and despised hope, because hope brought her bad feelings.

So therefore, hope became her despair and despair became her hope.

The truth was, when Enoshima ordered her to pretend to be her, Ikusaba was a bit were two reasons: one, that she would finally get the attention she had secretly wished for. Everyone knew Junko, she was that famous model, she was a role model for teen girls everywhere. Ikusaba never got jealous looks from others. For all she knew, Junko lead, Mukuro followed.

All I ever do is take orders, Ikusaba thought. And take lives.

Ikusaba knew over a hundred ways to kill someone without using a gun. She knew which plants were edible, which were nutritious or medicinal, and even which ones tasted good. She could battle ten people at once and kill them all within one minute. She was talented. She was proud to be Fenrir's best soldier.

But Junko thought otherwise. She called Ikusaba's talents boring, lame, and unfeminine. She constantly put down her with insults, threats, and sometimes even slapped her, though Junko always came back to say sorry.

The second reason was because of Naegi. If he had to die, at least she would get to see him one more time, even if he didn't remember her.

Naegi was the first- and only- person who accepted Ikusaba for the way she was. Before him, she felt she really was hopeless. No one would care or even aknowledge her about her except for Junko. That's why hung onto her so much, because she believed that under how bad Junko treated her, she truly loved her. This was what kept her up and going and not giving up on hope itself.

She had -and still has- a tremendous crush on Naegi. She blushed beet red every time he greeted her, and could never think of anything to say to him other than "Umm...".

He was so optimistic. He was the reason Ikusaba was happy at Hope's Peak. She had so many memories together with him, all of which were stolen by Enoshima.

She recalled some old, dusty moments that haven't been remembered for a while. The first one that came to mind was a joyful time with Naegi, which was her last cheerful memory of everyone together.

One hot summer day almost two years ago, everyone decided to go outside, even if it was nearly thirty degrees. They hadn't gone out in a while, and they were tired of being cramped up indoors.

So everyone headed for the city, and almost all of the students went in groups. Except for Togami, of course, though Fukawa was stalking him endlessly throughout the day.

Asahina and Oogami went to the amusement park, partly because of the special 50% off discount due to less people from the heat wave, and also Asahina was ready to have some fun.

"Sakura-chan, let's go on the roller coaster! I bet it'll be so much fun!" Asahina dragged Oogami around, hunting for new rides.

"If that is what you want, we shall go." Oogami told her. "I think that will be a rewarding ride, Asahina." She said as they dashed to the line up.

Maizono and Kuwata decided to head to the theatre, to watch a sappy romance movie (which was Maizono's idea, Kuwata protested, but eventually gave in.)

"We're going to the movies Leon! And after that you're going to get me one of those stuffed bears from those insert-a-coin machines!" Maizono squealed, jumping up and down.

"I'm gonna get ya a kitty. Make that a singing kitty!" Kuwata said, beaming.

"But I want a bear! And a cute one! I need some special pampering today!" Maizono laughed, grasping Kuwata's right hand, skipping together to the theatre.

"I'm getting three scoops: chocolate, vanilla with sprinkles, and mint." Fujisaki told Ishimaru.

"That is a fine combination, Chihiro! I am having chocolate, neopoliton, and strawberry with sprinkles on my ice cream!" He declared.

"Strawberry? Isn't that too girly for ya? I'll have four scoops: vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate, and... Ah, great, can't think of anotha." Oowada looked down at Ishimaru while chewing a piece of gum.

"That is gender discrimination!" Ishimaru yelled to Oowada. "I am afraid I will have to give you another detention slip. That is the fourth time this week!" Ishimaru lectured.

"Come on, Ishi, it's summer! School's out!" Oowada brushed it off casually.

"I wear my uniform all year round, regardless of weather or occasion!" Ishimaru was proud of himself.

They walked in the ice cream store, breathing in the smell of cool goodies.

The man at the counter stood, opened his mouth to speak, and froze.

The customers who just came in, were a more-than-unusual trio. A tall gangster guy who had corncob hair and his two shorter shorter pals, one who was wearing a pristine white uniform and had very intense bright red eyes, and lastly, who seemed to be a little girl with a puffy skirt.

"What're you lookin' at?" Oowada eyed the other guy with his vibrant lavender eyes.

The man at the counter quickly looked away, and decided to spend the rest of his time gazing hard and blankly at a fish tank.

Togami strode to the park, hopefully trying to find a quiet and shady place to read the latest murder mystery novel from his favourite author. With absolutely NO distractions. That is, until Genocider Sho popped out from behind a tree.

"Byakuya-sama, there you are! I've been tracking you all over this place now!"

"Fukawa, get out of my sight." Togami sighed with exasperation, his eyebrows knitted tightly together. "You reek with dandruff and other body odours, you incompetent commoner." He whisked himself back into the realm of his novel, trying to relish the words and block out the loud yabbering from Genocider.

"You care about me, don't you? Right? Otherwise you wouldn't order me to take a shower, wouldn't you? But you know," Genocider bent down to Togami's ear, lowered her voice to a harsh whisper and breathed "I could kill you now if I really wanted to. And I really do. Just this is WAAAY to public for my taste!" Her voice returned to its original high, squealy pitch. She started to rant, talking so rapidly her words became slurred and practically gibberish, though of course it's more than 99.9% likely she's yakking about how beautiful her White-Knight is.

"I KNOW." At this rate he was going to burst if she continued any longer. He quickly came up with a plan. It wasn't the best plan, in fact, it was terrible, but it would help him get out of his current situation. All he wanted was to sit down and settle down with a good book. This shouldn't be happening to a heir, of all people. In that moment where Genocider Sho paused to make her signature cackle, Togami -for the first time in his life- bolted.

She spent her day with Naegi.

It would be lying to say it wasn't awkward, since he was a lot shorter than her, and since she couldn't think of anything good to say, she kept quiet.

She and Naegi walked side by side, strolling through the city at a leisurely pace.

"Uhh, Ikusaba-san?" Naegi asked. He was so short he had to tilt his head up quite a bit to see her.

"Yes, Naegi-kun?" She replied, keeping her cold and stiff tone.

"I was wondering...can we talk?"

"Of course, Naegi-kun. What would you like to talk about?"

"Well, I think there's more to you than meets the eye."

"There is?"Ikusaba was slightly surprised, and flustered.

"Of course. You might seem cold and harsh in the beginning, but after getting to know someone you gradually warm up. I noticed." Naegi looked away.

"Umm...Thank you?" She mumbled, diverting her gaze.

They spent a few awkward moments together, just standing there.

"Uhh, I like you, Ikusaba-san." Naegi finally spoke and smiled at her. "We can be friends, I mean, close friends."

"You do?" She stared at him, blankly.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"N-no." She stuttered, and twiddled with her fingers. "But do you really? I mean, my boss at Fenrir likes me, but that's because I'm a good soldier..." She trailed off.

"Really. You're a nice person. And Enoshima-san is, uh, probably a really great sister. Yeah." He tried to tell her that.

"I like you too, Naegi-kun." Ikusaba stared at him with her blue-grey eyes. "You're the only person who has liked me for who I am, and not what I do." She told him.

"Well, then, can I call you Mukuro-chan?" He asked.

Ikusaba froze. That was what her sister called her, she couldn't let her hear that.

"Ah, uh, sure." Why did I say yes? Junko's going to be mad at me again. Well, no going back now, and, after all, it sounded cute when Naegi said it.

"Let's go to the park, Mukuro-chan!" Naegi grabbed her hand and they dashed to the local play park.

They went on the monkey bars, the swings, the gliders, everything. (Even though Ikusaba was much too tall for most of them, on the monkey bars, her feet touch the ground fully while holding on to the bars, and half of Naegi's shoes grazed the ground because he was noticeably shorter than her.)

As the sun dipped down on the sky, creating beautiful shades of lavendar and orange and pink, they headed back to the academy.

"Today was really great, wasn't it, Mukuro-chan?" Naegi said smiling again, just as Enoshima came from around the corner.

She widened her eyes in disbelief for just a moment, before it melted into a look of disgust and hatred.

That was one good day.

Everyone returned sweaty and feeling awesome. They then proceeded to sing "Everything is Awesome" as loud as they could. Togami didn't sing, but even he smiled, just a little bit, so he must have found a little nook to read in.

Ikusaba tried to silence these memories, but they ignored her, taunting her as more and more awakened, making her dizzy.

She decided her room was too nostalgic, so she seeked a place where she wouldn't be disturbed. Classroom 1-A seemed like a good place.

She let it all out there, crying her eyes out, and sobbing loudly.

But she was disturbed.

The door swung open, and Naegi himself stared at her, both not knowing what to say.

Author Note: This is a longer chapter! I know it's been a while since I last updated, but I had this whole thing done, than I had to perform a software update, and half of my files got deleted. I had to write the whole thing all over again, but I'm convinced this version is much better than the deleted one.

Oh, and I'm no longer going to write SANIC FAST. I will make each chapter longer and more detailed than the first two. And I WILL be editing those first two. I just need to find the time for that. Luckily I've got lots now.

Thanks gamekrazy306 and CJ Foxy for your positive reviews!

This author note is getting a bit long, but as always, reviews would be appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4: Growing Bonds and Murder

Chapter 4: Growing Bonds and Murder

Author Note: Quick Summary: Naegi and Ikusaba get to know each other more, and his interpretation of her now is different from her first impressions. So this is the next chapter, enjoy!

Naegi stared at Ikusaba, his expression uncomfortable. She stared back, her eye makeup staining her face while her powdered foundation ran down her cheeks.

"Uh-um...Enoshima-san! What are you doing here?." He kept standing at the door, not coming in the classroom.

"I want to ask you that." She sat slumped in the desk, not noticing how horrible she looked right now. I was trying to get some quiet time and he had to come of all people? She thought. "Just...I wanted to find a place for myself." She looked away.

"Wouldn't your room work though?" Naegi walked into the room. "Mind if I talk with you? I'm kind of lonely now, since Maizono-san left for her room." He sat in the desk beside her, stretching out his legs.

"Umm... okay." She replied. She crossed her legs and placed her right hand on her lap while she nibbled her fake red nails on her left hand.

"Don't take this as rude, but why are you crying?" He asked her.

"Well, it's like, uh, I had a lot of..trauma. You know, how Monokuma said we have to kill each other to get out..and other stuff." Wow, that sounded lame, she criticized herself. "Like, I can't be a model anymore, and who knows what happened to my parents?" She squeaked out, and started sobbing again. Of course, that was a lie because she already knew how they died, but nevertheless, it still made her heart ache dully.

Naegi just sat there. He blinked twice before saying "That sure is a lot of trauma. You must be feeling it more than the rest of us since you had an important career."

"Yeah. Exactly." She sniffled, and touched her face, only to feel a sticky sensation which was her running makeup.

"Eek! Do I look bad?" She looked him in the eye for the first time since he appeared.

"You really need to wash your face." She took that as a yes. Ikusaba was fuming inside. First, he sees me crying, which I almost never do, and now I make a huge fool of myself with my makeup. She then regained her senses, realizing the bathrooms were practically on the other side of the school.  
"The bathrooms are on the other side of the school." She said rather flatly.

"I have a napkin I saved from the cafeteria. Ishimaru-kun wouldn't let me dump it since it was unused. He said we throw away way too many products while the poor don't have enough." Naegi said nonchalantly.

"He is right." Ikusaba's tone of voice changed. Instead of her usual high one, it was lower and more serious.

"Huh? Your voice changed? I know he's right, but-"

"I used to be homeless." She finished, her eyes cast downward.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"Here's the napkin."

"Thank you." She took the napkin and wiped her face. She was about to get up from the desk, but something felt wrong. She noticed that her skirt was riding up and her wig was slipping sideways.

"Is something the matter?" Naegi asked while swinging his feet back and forth.

"N-no, why do you ask?" Ikusaba was starting to feel annoyed, and struggled to pull the short down. She never liked it, red wasn't her colour.

"You keep squirming." He said.

"Well there's nothing wrong!" She snapped and glared at him, at the same time surprising herself. She rarely lashed out, and had no trouble controlling her temper.

"E-Eh, Enoshima-san-" Naegi's eyes darted away, to the floor. He was always such a passive guy.

Ikusaba used this chance to swiftly twist the wig back in place while looking natural.

"We should probably talk some more, since we have so much time, right?" She told him, knowing he'd say yes.

"Sure, if that's you want." He replied. "So, how does it feel when you're posing for the photo shoot?"

"Ah, those...umm..." She hesitated. How did it feel to model? She'd never done it before, but Junko had. What would Junko say?

"I feel...kind of nervous at first, but after a few poses, you get used to it, and at the end, you're pretty proud at how the pictures turned out!" She smiled that cheshire cat grin. "So, what's your family life like?" She asked, to which she knew the answer, but just did to pass the time.

"Well, it's nothing much, not glamorous like yours...do you still want to hear it?" He scratched his head, his ahoge bouncing back and forth, which Ikusaba had always found attractive, but now wasn't the time to ponder about such things.

"Of course I do." She replied.

"Okay then...I was always just an average student who lived with an average family with average looks. Also, I was teased when I younger because I was the shortest kid in the class and the only one with an ahoge. About a year after that, people started calling me a herbivore guy." He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh." Well that was something she hadn't heard before, minus the herbivore part. "I mean, I feel sorry for you, Naegi-kun, because I've never had those kind of problems. I was tall, lean, and I guess I got grades a bit better than most, to be honest." She surprised herself for the hundredth time today, and gasped inwardly. She never boasted. But it's true, she reassured herself.

"Enoshima-san, I'm not trying to sound nosy, but who was your family? I'm sorry, I couln't help it!" Naegi looked up to her face.

Ikusaba shuddered. He couldn't know about them. He can't know her sister is the real Enoshima Junko, nor can she tell him her sister is Ikusaba Mukuro. What should I do, Junko? She wondered, hoping half-heartedly that Junko would get the message, though she should know already; she moniters the cameras.

"Knock knock knock!" A loud banging noise came from the other side of the large door. "Hello? Naegi-kun, are you in there?" Came a female voice, muffled by it.

Thank goodness, a distraction, thought Ikusaba.

"Yeah, I am! Who is it!" He pushed open the door. "Maizono-san! Hi, did you need me or something?"

Maizono appeared, a look of discomfort written across her face. "Actually, yes. Ah, hello, Enoshima-san." She turned towards Naegi and said quietly, leaning in to him, "Could we talk alone?"

Ikusaba felt a burn in her chest. Of all people who could have came, Maizono had to, and steal Naegi away. But before she had time to speak up, he said softly to her "Enoshima-san, it was a pleasure to speak with you, but Maizono-san and I have to do something quick, 'kay?

"S-sure. Absolutely. See you later!" She sped away down the corridor and sharply turned, half walking half running.

"Is she having a bad day or something?" Asked Maizono.

He recalled what she told him. "Yeah, she sort of is."

"Okay." Said Maizono. "Um, I need to go to your room to talk about this, it's important."

They dashed back to the dorms, knowing Night Time would start soon.

After they reached Naegi's room, she lept onto the bed, and seemed discomforted.

"What did you want to talk about, Maizono-san?" He asked and plopped down on the other side of his bed.

"Well, I, was in my room, preparing to sleep early. But then, a loud rattle came from my door, and at first it wouldn't stop, but after a few minutes the person left. I carefully opened the door, to see who was there, but there was nothing. I became really afraid." Maizono suddenly became very pale, and clutched herself.

"Do you think you'll be safe?" He asked her.

"N-not really, I think...Naegi-kun, would it be fine if I slept here tonight?"

"Sleep here? Oh, okay...Wait! You mean you're going to sleep here?! With me?!" He had a bewildered look, then catched Maizono's confused one. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I really am! I didn't mean anything like that! I wasn't thinking about doing anything! Trust me! I-"

"Naegi-kun, it's not like I'm against the idea, but I think it'll be better if we switch rooms. Just for tonight. Is that alright?" Her large deep blue eyes captivated him, until he wasn't thinking about anything else.

"Sure, whatever you want."

"Thanks, Naegi-kun! We better switch keys!" She thrust her keys into his palm and snatched his. "Goodnight!" She practically pushed him out of his room.

Huh? What did I say? Oh yeah, Maizono and I switched rooms. He unlocked the door to the left of his, and tooka step in.  
Her room was quite clean, and it was filled with her scent. She had a pink bedspread, but otherwise it was the same as Naegi's.

He had trouble falling asleep that night. Voices kept filling his mind and rining through his ears. Monokuma as he announced Night Time is in effect, Maizono asking him to switch rooms, Enoshima saying she used to be homeless. Other voices drifted across his mind, some lingering longer than others, but all lf them hazy and faint. The last ones he heard were of his mother, father, and sister Komaru, before his eyes fluttered shut.

While Naegi lay on his neighbor's bed and snoring softly, Maizono wasn't tired at all. Instead, she was laying out her plans.

Everything is ready, she reassured herself, convincing herself nothing unexpected would happen and things would go smoothly. The knife lay just a meter away from her, the silver blade glintling wickedly in the dim light. The notepad was in front of her, waiting for her to scribble something on it.

She went over the details of her plan again to make sure. The first step, which was switching rooms with Naegi was accomplished successfully. The second would be to slip the note under her victims door. After the victim came to where she was staying, she would kill them with the knife. She'd then plant false evidence, such as a fake dying message, and a second note in someone elses garbage can. That someone else would be Naegi.

She had pointlessly pondered at who to pick as her victim. She decided it had to be someone weak, or someone who wouldn't realize she was plotting murder. Her first candidate was Fujisaki, but she felt that if she really killed her, she would feel much too guilty, and it would show. She then considered Naegi for a very long time, but she felt too sorry for him. She felt like a horrible person when she thought of killing him, since she knew him from middle school. After that, she sort of ran out of people. She picked up the pen, and wrote all the students' names on the notepad. She immediately crossed out the ones she wouldn't target, ones who were too strong or too smart. These individuals included Oowada, Togami, Kirigiri, Oogami, Hagakure, and Celes. Then she crossed out people she wasn't too close with, such as Ishimaru, Asahina, Enoshima, Fukawa, Fujisaki, Yamada, and Kuwata. Wait a minute. Kuwata. Kuwata. That's it, she realized. Kuwata had an obvious weakness, one that probably everyone at Hope's Peak knew by now. He had a hopeless crush on Maizono. Personally, she didn't like him that much. He looked like he changed himself just to get more attention. Also, he was like a stalker nowadays. Earlier, she had to hide in Fujisaki's room because she was running away from him. "Maizono-chan, where are ya? Ya don't have ta hide. I'll find you, I know I will!" He said grinning, only making her frown more. He must have found out she was hiding in one of the dorms, because he knocked on everyones door and asked if Maizono was in there. Apparently, according to the voices outside when she ducked in Fujisaki's room, he disturbed Celes while she was taking a bath, and after the knocking wouldn't go away, she put on her towel and stormed over to her door, where she scared Kuwata away with her metallic finger. Eventually, he found her though, just like he had stated before.  
He kept trying to converse with her, and she would comply for a bit, before leaving shortly after.

The thought of me killing him wouldn't cross his mind in a million years, she thought, cooking up more evil details to her plan.

Then, she got to work with writing the note.

Kuwata Leon,  
Please come to my room tonight at 1 a.m. I need to talk to you about something important. Make sure to check the nameplates so that you have the right one.  
Maizono Sayaka

That should do it, she told herself, and slipped out of her room. She proceeded to switch her nameplate with Naegi's, then tiptoed over to a door with a sign reading KUWATA. She slipped the note through the crack under the door, and knocked softly to catch his attention, just in case he hadn't noticed. She hurried back to her room and closed the door, and sighed in relief.

All that was left now was to wait.

After a about an hour, her victim arrived. He knocked.

I can't believe I was invited over to her room, he bubbled with excitement, a grin forming. I thought she favoured that Naegi kid.

Maizono opened the door a crack, then waited for Kuwata to step in. Once he did, she sprung at him, thrusting the knife towards his stomach but missing him by a few inches.

"What the hell?! Maizono- you-" He leapt away from the blade and stared at her in utter disbelief. The door swung shut.

"You have to die tonight, it's the only way I'll be an idol again! I can't be neglected and forgotten again! She lunged at him again, she nicked him at the waist only to be counterattacked, as Kuwata grabbed the golden practice sword and swung it at her.

I was supposed to use that! She gritted her teeth. Things were going out of hand, and the battle was on for only 30 seconds at most so far.

The sword collided with her right wrist, the one that was weilding the knife, and she stared in horror as it fell from her grasp, landing on the floor with a loud clatter. Pain surged through her wrist, and when she felt it, it was broken.

Kuwata was still clutching the sword, out of breath and still in shock.

Maizono held her broken wrist, and in that moment when he glanced away, she darted forward and grabbed the knife with her other hand, racing towards her target once more. This time, it cut his arm, and blood started pouring out immediately.

"Ahhhh!" He screamed, and stared at the wound before ripping his eyes off it and approaching her.

"We have to talk properly." He said, still hanging on to sword. Maizono raised the knife. He instantly backed away like a frightened cat. "Don't kill me! What did I do! I didn't deserve this!"

She lowered it, and an idea came to her mind, like a piece of popping popcorn. "You're right," she said, trying to sound confident, "We need to talk."

"First, I want this question answered," Kuwata finally let go of the sword, but kept it under his foot so he could grab it if attacked. "Why are you trying to kill? And why me?"

"Because I know you're vulnerable." She avoided his gaze. He suddenly spoke up after a moment of silence. "Could you really drop the knife now?" He asked her. She responded by dropping it but keeping it by her feet.

"Second, how exactly am I vulnerable? Not trying to be a show off, but you gotta admit, I'm way physically stronger than you are."

"I know...what you think of me. Truthfully, I don't like you back. Also, would you have known I would kill you before a few mere minutes ago?"

"Nah, I wouldn't." He admitted, running his hand through his dyed red hair.

"Exactly. And in case you're going to ask why I didn't choose Naegi, it's a reason I'm not even comepletly sure of myself." And with that, in one fluid move, she picked the knife up and ran, making a deep cut in Kuwata's chest.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!OWWWWWWWWW!OWOWOWOWOWOWOWWWWWW! WHY? WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO MEEE!" He stumbled backwards, clutching himself, and slumped to the floor of Naegi's shower. "Why...please...I don't wanna die...not so soon...save me...I'm sorry, coach...sorry mom, dad...give me mercy...I don't wanna go ta Hell, if it's real...I..." Maizono stared into his pleading eyes, hers becoming darker and darker and the more Kuwata looked at them, the more they turned into bottomless pits, sucking him in, covering him in despair.

"I...I want...one more thing...can you...can you..." He started coughing up blood, making a mess all over the shower. "Can you...end my pain?" His eyes started flickering; he was balancing on the line between life and death, in danger of crossing over.

"Of course." Maizono replied, and kicked the knife so that it sunk deeper in, stabbing his heart, and blowing out his flame of life.

I really did it, she thought. She should be happy now, if she got away with this she could return to her life of being a pop star. Instead, she felt a dreadful sinking feeling in her stomach, the realization that she was now a murderer. She cast away those feelings and started planting fake evidence while destroying some.

First, she took the fake note, the one supposedly signed by Naegi, crumpled it up and threw it in the garbage. Someone observant like Kirigiri would be bound to find it.

Then, she hid the practice sword under the bed. She just hoped no one would think to look there. After that, she proceeded to pry the real note out of Kuwata's hands, and stuffed it in her pocket, planning to put it in her own garbage can after ripping it into pieces.

Now that most of the evidence had been disposed of, she had to tackle the messy part: creating a fake dying message. She inched into the shower, careful not to stain her clothes, lifted his right hand and dipped it in his blood, then scrawled the kanji for "Naegi" on the wall behind him. After she finished she hurried out of there, becoming lightheaded from the smell of blood.

I think that's all, she thought, satisfied with how the crime scene appeared now. She was just about to go to bed when she noticed the blood on her right shoe. She quickly grabbed a hand towel from the bathroom and wiped it off, then returned it, but flipped it inside out so the stains weren't visible. Now that her job was done here, she exited and flopped on the bed, trying to get a good sleep.

She was disturbed all night, tossing and turning. Images of Kuwata's dead body filled her head. She had nightmares involving every other student at Hope's Peak calling her a horrible murderer and being sent to death, her victim flashing before her eyes. She barely slept at all except for a few winks and short bad dreams.

Maybe, she thought, tears streaking her face, sobbing into the covers, I really am a horrible murderer.

Author Note: I haven't updated in so long. It's because I was helping making a cake for a wedding for a whole week, but also for a certain other reason which restricts my writing time to only night. So, what did you think? For this chapter I decided to write how the murder goes with the original people instead of using two other people for a different trial, since it's already pretty obvious that if the victim is Kuwata, the killer is Maizono. Sorry if I'm not making sense, I'm trying to explain it as best as I can. Also, I've come to the conclusion that I need a beta reader. If you think you want to do it, contact me through the reviews and you'll be the beta for this story! Thanks for reading! As always, please review!


	5. Notice

This isn't really a chapter. It's a notice.

I haven't updated in a month or so, I know. There's been a lot going on. I just want to say that I haven't abandoned this story, and I'll get to work on it as soon as possible. And, who do you guys want to be the victim/culprit for the next trial? I had the trial completed, and it got deleted after an issue with my gmail account. Thanks for reading this not-really-a-chapter-chapter. (This will be deleted.)

Edit: I want to start a new fic. I already have this one, but I really want to start another, I've had this idea for like eternity and need it written down. Summary: Naegi Komaru gets kidnapped while fighting Monokumas in a dark alley with Genocider Shou. Her capturers inject a needle in her arm, which makes her pass out. After some time, she wakes up in the abandoned Hope's Peak Academy and meets 17 others, where a white-and-orange cat calling herself "Mononeko" announces that one of the 18 gathered in the gym is the mastermind. Thus begins the fourth mutual killing, and the mastermind twists the rules. Instead of everyone dying except the killer if the wrong person is accused in the Class Trial, a draw will be held, whoever gets themself drawn will be executed while the true killer will escape the academy, under one condition. (Sound like fun? While this won't be an SYOC, reviewers still have the ability to choose their own culprits, victims, and survivors!)

(Another edit: Which one of you is that HonestPerson? I want to read your plot twist!)

(This will be my last edit I promise: I have a beta reader profile now, so go on ahead and consult me for your beta reading needs!)


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